Three days of restless nights prevailed over his responsibilty to remain close to the pack, and he slipped past the borders sometime after midnight with one thought on his mind.

Liffey was growing closer to Rannoch by the day, and though he was happy for the pair and their budding romance, he could not shake the memory of his own sapphire star somewhere out there. The rocky reaches of the western range was an indescernable row of jagged teeth, but Moonspear, somehow, stood out among them all as a stark reminder of the promise he'd made Hydra many months ago.

It took him the better part of the night to descend from the highlands of the Sunspire Range, most of the morning to cross the sprawling Hoshor Plains. Eventually, his parched throat and rumbling stomach won out, and he sprawled out for a rest on the scorched bank of a stream somewhere in the Heartwood after drinking his fill of the cool water.

Rian had a mind to rustle up some food when a cacaphony of startled grouse drew his attention. He rose to his feet, tail cricked, and nose flared.